Shrike
Summary As with most star spirits, the being that would become known as Shrike was formed in a nebula, from interstellar dust and magic. Immediately upon gaining consciousness, Shrike’s young, burgeoning soul left their birthplace to explore the universe. Possessing the great power of a star spirit from birth, and influenced by the gruesome examples that many other mages left, Shrike put this power to use cracking planets and playing with their “food”. Shrike was hunted down by other mages in retaliation for these things, and found the game of fleeing and fighting highly amusing. Even after losing, for the first and second and third times, Shrike put further energy into growing stronger and stronger, reluctant to lose again. In their journeys and games, many mages began to follow them, primarily for their power. Many saw them as some sort of destined destroyer, while others just flocked to someone as strong as them. Either way, the attention and love caused Shrike’s already immense ego to grow larger and larger. They took to calling themselves the Butcher Star, or the Star of Bloodshed, or any number of other gruesome nicknames. They called their followers their “crew”, and brought them along with them on their hunts and raids, as they grew stronger and stronger. They granted many of their followers power for whatever arbitrary reasons. Eventually, Shrike’s eyes turned to other worlds, other possibilities for new hunts; they found worlds made of the opposite matter, and in them, they found new prey and new crew members. Eventually, one of Shrike’s closer crew members - an antimatter being known as Galette - set out on its own. Years later, Galette was killed by a young star spirit known as Wren, and Shrike turned their attention to this upstart. Their first fight went poorly for the young Wren; the older, more experienced Shrike easily dominated her in combat, but they toyed with her. It took Shrike too long to finish the fight, and Wren escaped, though Shrike, in their arrogance, presumed her dead. They turned their attention to the rest of the world, and Galette’s shattered empire, and began going about raiding and pillaging as they pleased. However, this was cut short by Wren’s reappearance. Wren had grown stronger and stronger in pursuit of the simple goal of defeating Shrike. Their fight was intense, and though Shrike put everything they had into their fight, they were defeated; not for the first time in their life, nor their last. Still, the experience stuck with them, and even though they escaped, Wren stayed in their mind, and with it, a big deal of hate. What had been a simple, almost everyday matter of vengeance for Shrike slowly turned into a deep, personal rivalry. The more they fought, the more Shrike found to hate in Wren, and every loss only intensified this hate, along with a steadily growing respect. Even as Wren grew stronger and stronger, and eventually became the Galactic Witch Milky Way, Shrike remains her most stubborn foe and greatest rival. Appearance Just like any star spirit, Shrike's body is a work of magic that they can change to their liking. Usually, Shrike appears as a short, thickset feathery monster. Their feathers are inconsistently colored; sometimes they're mostly black and grey, while other times, more vibrant colors find their way in, such as purple and shades that can't be perceived by humans. Their eyes are purple-ish, with red sclera, and they glow with stellar energy that makes them seem so much deeper than they are. They have a small beak, but a very large mouth, filled with sharp, though small teeth, and a long tongue. They have ear tufts, and four claws on their hands and feet, in addition to a fifth on their feet, located higher up than the others. They glow with a faintly visible, perpetually starry aura. Shrike dresses minimally and functionally; their wardrobe is little more than a long, dark cape featuring the same invisible colors as their feathers, and jewelry, such as bracelets and anklets. Personality Similarly to their archnemesis, Shrike is extremely arrogant and haughty, seeing themself as the very best thing in creation. Their arrogance is evident in everything they do; they treat everyone with clear, blunt condescension. While very flashy and overdramatic, Shrike is exceedingly serious, and takes themself and all their dramatics very seriously. When outside of the combat, they're quiet, though still quite arrogant and blunt. They're very verbose and they tend to ramble if given the opportunity. When in combat, however, Shrike gets very intense and excitable, and tends to yell a lot. Their deep love of combat is obvious in everything they do; they love fighting, killing, and conquering, particularly when strong, worthy opponents are involved. They're extremely sadistic, and they enjoy toying with weak opponents, fooling them into thinking they have a chance before crushing them utterly and reveling in their despair and pain. As Shrike is driven primarily by a desire to have fun and grow stronger, they'll support those that they find amusing or promising for their own sake. The few opponents that have given Shrike good fights are the only people they truly respect, though they crave the day when they can finally kill each one and claim a trophy from their remains. Shrike's arrogance permeates all their beliefs. They believe they were, on some level, destined for greatness, though this means nothing without putting the hard work into it. Shrike is extremely selfish and has absolutely no problem with sacrificing others for their own sake, even their closest crew members, though they loathe the possibility, seeing its closest crew members as almost family. Personal Statistics Origin: Starcross ---- Name: Shrike, the Butcher Star / Butcher Queen / Star of Bloodshed, among many other titles and names Classification: Antimatter star spirit Alignment: Chaotic Evil Color Identity: Black/Red ---- Gender: Shrike Age: Millions of years old. Date of Birth: ???? Height: 5'0 Weight: Stellar ---- Likes: Fighting, bloodshed, good food, anything fun, trophies Dislikes: Boring things, bad food Affiliation: Shrike Combat Statistics Tier: At least 3-C Powers and Abilities: Mastery in Martial Arts, Magic, Extrasensory Perception (Mages maintain a constant, perfect, and precise image of their surroundings by analyzing them through magic), Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight, Forcefield Creation, Antimatter Manipulation (Can control and create antimatter, and transmute regular matter into antimatter), Molecular Manipulation (Can manipulate regular matter just as they can antimatter), Cosmic Manipulation, Strong Force Manipulation, Electromagnetism Manipulation, Weak Force Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, Spatial Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Cosmic Awareness, can manipulate celestial bodies (including themself) and draw upon the power of their movement, Black Hole Creation, Pocket Reality Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Causality Manipulation, Conceptual Manipulation (Type 4; Concepts in Agency are purely personal constructions, but those who can manipulate them affect and bring them into existence as abstractions; however, even then, they do not govern all reality, but can be imposed onto it on a limited scale to alter reality), Sealing, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Teleportation, Dimensional Travel, Reality Warping with Override Sigils (Override Sigils can be used to overwrite the laws of physics), their attacks (physical and magical) damage the soul just as they do the body, Energy Absorption (Can absorb magic, radiation, and cosmic energy), Shapeshifting, Reactive Evolution (An Absolute Barrier automatically adapts to attacks to become more resistant), Resistance to physical / magical attacks (Absolute Barriers protect the user from attacks on all levels of existence, whether mental, spiritual, or conceptual, as well as hax such as Causality Manipulation, Matter Manipulation, Reality Warping, Spatial Manipulation, and Time Manipulation), Acausality (Type 2; A mage's history, present, and fate all exist independently of the past and future), Intangibility, Non-Corporeal (is just a mass of magic and stardust; highly resistant to conventional physical damage), their "antishield" annihilates regular matter on contact, rendering them normally immune to physical attack, Immortality (Types 1 and 3), Regeneration (Low-Godly; can regenerate from ambient magical energy) Attack Potency: At least Galaxy level (Milky Way's greatest rival and every bit her equal. Dead End Galaxy hits with the force of a galaxy's movement, and Hellraiser can tear apart a galaxy). Speed: Massively FTL+ (Much faster than Base Deleter, capable of quickly traversing intergalactic distances and fighting on par with Milky Way). Lifting Strength: Multi-Stellar (Comparable to the likes of Remnant, who can fit multiple stars in their orbit) Striking Strength: At least Galactic Class (Capable of trading blows with Milky Way and can easily chain Dead End Galaxies together) Durability: At least Galaxy level Stamina: Extremely high. Range: Low Multiversal (Can create small parallel universes, teleport into other dimensions, and affect things from other universes) Standard Equipment: Nothing notable. Intelligence: Supergenius. Shrike is a highly skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable mage and conqueror who has roamed many worlds over the course of their long life, exposing them to many kids of magic and granting them a wide variety of experiences. Shrike is a master of combat, strategy, and magic, capable of fighting on par with the great Milky Way. With millions of years to refine their combat and magical abilities, Shrike has, more than any other foe, remained a persistent threat to Milky Way throughout the millennia, along with the world at large. Many powerful, skilled mages have fallen to Shrike over their many years of pillaging. Weaknesses: Shrike likes to toy with weaker opponents. Abilities Magic is the art of using one's Understanding to Control Fantasy. As a being born of magic, and a powerful conqueror, Shrike’s powerful magical array is no surprise. Already formed from birth due to their magical nature, and already possessing great power due to Shrike’s origin as a star spirit, their magical array has been further refined millennia of combat and refinement, growing stronger and more efficient with every fight. Due to their nature as a star spirit, Shrike’s magical array can easily produce, discharge, and store large amounts of magical energy, and is similarly resilient. Due to the strength of their magical array and their nature as a star, Shrike can exert themself at the full extent of their magical power for what is effectively an indefinite amount of time, though exerting themself too much in too short a period of time can have negative effects on their array, and could even prove lethal. If they are under intense emotion, this is much likelier to happen, though they will exhibit a much higher output of magical energy. ---- Absolute Barrier: A magical barrier that protects the user from external manipulation and attack, on every level of existence. An Absolute Barrier protects the user’s body, mind, and soul - their cells and atoms, the magical and physical forces keeping them together, and everything else. It is akin to a magical immune system, protecting the mage from threats and adapting to future attack. It passively protects the user from most types of attack, manipulation, and control, as long as the barrier is strong enough - a witch of substantially greater power can punch straight through one. An Absolute Barrier is passively maintained at all times, even in sleep, requiring no energy to maintain, and can only be removed by a stronger witch actively stripping it away, or by the user consciously lowering them. Flight: Shrike’s magical abilities allow them to easily fly for extended periods of time, as easily as they would walk. They can fly in combat without issue, and is more than fast enough to rapidly travel intergalactic distances. Radar: Shrike’s magical abilities sustain a constant 360° image of their surroundings, which is projected straight to their mind for processing. This radar is far more reliable than conventional senses, and is capable of easily picking up superluminal movement. It constantly operates at Shrike’s maximum processing speed, even when it would normally be restricted so that they can function normally. Superhuman Capabilities: Shrike’s magical abilities grant them strength, speed, endurance, and processing speed far above that of any normal human. As a star spirit, Shrike’s body is composed more out of magic than any conventional physical material, and powerful magical defenses are a part of their body. Due to their nature as a magical being, their physical blows are just as powerful as their magical ones. They can process information at a ridiculously fast rate, indescribable multitudes faster than any normal human - or even the average supercomputer - can. This allows them to process and analyze information during battles and run through the countless calculations needed for their magic. They typically keep this aspect of their magic restricted when they don’t need it, though it will automatically activate if their magic detects a threat. Unfortunately, it tends to activate during times of stress and anxiety, regardless of whether or not Shrike is in legitimate danger. ---- Star Spirit: Shrike is a star spirit, a magical being born of stardust and magic, nurtured in a nebula just like any star, but energized with magic to become a being of willpower and life. Due to this magical nature, and a predominantly magical physiology, Shrike is highly resistant to conventional physical attacks, which simply pass through their magical body. *'Regeneration:' Shrike’s body is really just a mass of stardust and magical energy, and they can thus regenerate from basically anything by absorbing or producing more magic and stardust. They can regrow limbs and even reform their entire body if need be. *'Shapeshifting:' As a being of magic, Shrike’s appearance and body are entirely up to them, allowing them to freely change their appearance as they please. *'The Butcher Star:' Shrike is infamous for their gruesome treatment of their opponents, including things like; dismembering and mutilating them after death, impaling them on anything available, devouring their remains, and turning whatever’s left into a trophy. In combat, Shrike often shifts parts of their body into wickedly sharp edges, or creates magical, stellar spears and blades for use in combat. Almagest: A spiritual and physical martial art that channels the motion of celestial bodies. Due to their nature as a star spirit, Shrike has a natural proficiency for Almagest, heightened to a mastery by the time they have put into it. As with many of their magical arts, Almagest is very powerful in their hands. In Almagest, technique, timing, and positioning are key to take full advantage of its powers. When used properly, Almagest gives the user a heightened awareness of their cosmic surroundings, enhanced physical capabilities, and access to a variety of specific techniques. By channeling the motion of planets, Shrike can back up their blows with the force of their movement through space. This is the most simple and basic application of Almagest. It is more effective and the energy needed to use it can be gathered faster the closer the planet is to the user. *'Sense:' Through Almagest, Shrike has a heightened awareness of their surroundings, even on a cosmic level. This allows them to use Almagest to its fullest potential due to an in-depth understanding of cosmic movements. It also allows them to keep track of faster than light movement, which would normally be impossible. *'Spacewalking:' An advanced Almagest technique in which one attunes themself to the subtle tugs and pulls of the universe. With enough practice, one can manipulate these forces for flight. Normally, users of this would only be able to fly for short periods of time. Due to Shrike’s mastery of Almagest, however, they can easily use this technique to its fullest potential, and can essentially use it without limit. *'Dancing Star:' A fairly advanced series of Almagest techniques, and one unique to star spirits. As Shrike is a star, and thus a celestial body, they can channel the force of their own movement into every single one of their attacks without much difficulty. This does typically involve a lot of moving around to properly build up force for Almagest, however, leading to its name. *'Dead End Galaxy:' A high-end Almagest technique in which the user channels the force of the rotation of the entire Milky Way Galaxy into a single devastating blow. It requires some time to properly prepare - the user must sync themself with the rotation of the Milky Way to properly call upon its power, and must spin themselves to deliver the blow. Despite these drawbacks, it is still incredibly powerful. Antimatter: The physical components of Shrike’s body are not made up of regular matter, instead being formed from antimatter. As a being from a neighboring universe of antimatter, this is an intrinsic part of their being, and not something they really ever thought about until they were exposed to our universe of conventional matter. Even their simplest, most casual attacks result in annihilation of regular matter on contact, making combat with them a dangerous prospect. While this would normally harm Shrike in the process, their absolute barrier works to make the effect one-way, and they stabilize their body under normal circumstances when in matter universes to prevent their surroundings from being annihilated. Shrike can manipulate both antimatter and regular matter with ease. They can form constructs from either, and project antimatter as beams possessing sheer destructive force from any part of their body. They can also transmute regular matter to antimatter with a touch, and fire particles with enough precision and control to destroy subatomic particles while leaving the rest unscathed. *'Antishield:' Shrike’s composition and absolute barrier prevent attacks that use regular matter from affecting them, instead annihilating them upon contact. However, when reinforced by enough magic, such attacks can pierce their antishield and harm them. Cosmic Magic: Shrike’s natural magic. Due to their status as a star spirit, they are a natural source of cosmic magical energies, allowing them to call upon powerful cosmic forces through magic. The most common use of cosmic magic is channeling cosmic energy through one’s body and releasing it in the form of standard magical attacks; beams and blasts of magical energy are the most simple form of this, but they can be focused in many more unique manners, as with any magical energies. Shrike has a natural awareness of and connection to other cosmic and magical sources, allowing them to easily navigate through the depths of space. In addition, if need be, they can draw upon cosmic energy from their surroundings, strengthening and empowering themself in times of need. They draw greater amounts of strength from stars and nebulae; the older and more powerful the star, the more power it grants them. *'Galaxy Mantle:' Shrike near-constantly armors themself in a thick layer of cosmic energy, the only real clue of its existence being their perpetually starry aura. The layer is nearly completely protective in nature, and can also be manifested as all sorts of cosmic projections - most often, a pair of starry wings. *'Hellraiser:' Shrike wills a supermassive star into existence, before detonating it, causing a massive burst of highly destructive magical energy that spreads over a wide area. After this, the remains of the star collapse into a supermassive black hole capable of tearing apart an entire galaxy. *'Spaceweaving:' Shrike’s mastery of cosmic magic is enough to allow them to easily manipulate the fabric of space itself. This has a wide variety of applications. Through the creation and erasure of space, Shrike can create large pocket universes, with their own laws separate from conventional physics. They can shape the fabric of space into powerful attacks and barriers, such as impossible bends and rips in space that can impale opponents. By creating or erasing space between things, they can cause their position to alter - they primarily use this to quickly close gaps by erasing the distance between them and their opponent, or vice versa. They can erase the space that makes up objects to erase them from existence, or create space within them to push them apart. *'Black Holes:' The most lethal of all gravitational powers. Through a combination of Spaceweaving and gravity manipulation, Shrike can deform spacetime to create a black hole, a region of space with such great gravity that even magic and light cannot escape; in fact, nothing of any speed can escape its grasp, as time slows the closer one gets. :Once someone is past the event horizon, escape is extremely difficult, and cannot be accomplished through traditional means. Spacetime in a black hole is curved in a way that means every path leads back to the singularity. Escape is possible through sufficiently powerful magic, preparation, or teleportation; however, a black hole’s crushing force is almost always enough to overwhelm any magic. :The infinite, crushing force of a singularity is enough to force a lethal amount of Reality onto virtually any mage, and even if they somehow survive, they will still be compressed into an infinitely small, helpless point. Override Sigil: An extremely advanced form of magical technique used to change the nature of reality around and within the user, allowing them to bend and break through the laws of physics. Due to their complexity, Override Sigils are incredibly difficult to create, use, and control properly, requiring detailed knowledge and a powerful will. In addition, they tend to, invariably, drain a lot of energy and stamina, making it difficult to use them for extended periods of time, even if this can be mitigated by more powerful and willful mages. *'Relative Lightspeed:' A common form of Override Sigil that is ultimately developed in some form or another by most mages as they increase in power and speed. Normally, it would be impossible for even an incredibly powerful and willful mage to break through a universal constant such as the speed of light, theoretically requiring infinite magical energy to do so. However, this Override Sigil circumvents this issue by modifying the user's inner world to change the value of c to whatever they please, raising it as they grow in speed so that they can accelerate past the universal speed limit. 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